Once Upon A Dream (A Marisette Fan Fiction)
by NoVictorHugo
Summary: Marius and Cosette are both in the city chasing their dreams. When their worlds collide, both of them are in for things they never expected. (I'm not good at descriptions. It will be good. I promise. Rated M for the possibility of one of the future chapters.)
1. Prologue

Cosette has had one dream since she was young. Ever since she was a child, she has known exactly what she wanted to do with her life. Once she stepped on a stage for the first time, she knew that the only thing she wanted to do for the rest of her life was dance.

_Picture it: a young girl, with her blonde hair bound up in a tight bun and a pale pink tu-tu that she spent an hour spinning in beforehand, walks into a small dance studio, clutching tightly onto her mother's hand. The room is large to the five year old, and it intimidates her. For the first time since her mother has said she has signed her up for dance lessons, she is frightened. She looks up at her mother, who sees the apprehension in her daughter's eyes._

_She bends down, and places a hand on her daughters cheek. She gives her the warm reassuring smile that always helps the girl to relax. Her voice is soft and clear, "You are going to be amazing, my little ballerina." At the word ballerina, the girl's eyes light up, her fear practically hugs her mother tightly, as her mother whispers in her ear, "I can't wait to see you on that stage soon."_

_Soon, her mother leaves to speak to the teacher. The girl is the first to arrive, so she is left alone in the room. Her feet fall gently on the wooden floor in her hand-me-down ballet slippers. She takes in everything around her. The mirrored walls, bouncing back a reflection of herself. The wooden bars that she just about managed to reach. The entire scene leading to the ideal of performing on stage. The girl smiles to herself, and begins to twirl around the room until she falls down on the floor._

_Cut to a mere 6 months later. The time has come for the girl's first recital. Her teacher has given her a solo spot in the dance, for her teacher says she sees promise in her. She waits in the wings patiently, but does manage to peek out the end. She gulps quietly, looking at all of the faces staring back at her. She searches the audience for a familiar face. The only face she can find is her uncle Jean's face, who has grown to be more of a father to her. She moves back into the wing, slowly remembering that her mother would not be there, as her life had been taken a month before._

_Her nerves are getting the better of her, and she's ready to make a run for it, but she is stopped by a pair of familiar hands. She looks up to the face of her teacher, who gives her a soft smile. She reminds the girl that her mother is her, but only in spirit, and that she knows that her mother would be oh so proud of her little girl. At this, the girl smiles, and goes on stage to join the other children._

_She remembers fumbling on a few of the moves with the group, but she nails her solo spot. The whole time, the girl believes she is dreaming. There is a light in her eye that only comes to one when they are in love, and the second the number ends to thunderous applause the girl knows this is what she wants to do forever. _

Marius, as well for as long as he could remember, had a dream. The second his eyes hit a camera, and he pressed down on that button for the first time. Marius knew that the only way he ever wanted to see the world was through the eye of a lens.

_It starts with a young boy, and a plastic disposable camera. After a trip to the shore, and the development of photos from a dysfunctional family's attempts at getting along, the boy is given the camera to be disposed of in a garbage can outside the local drug store. Just as the boy is about fulfill his mother's wishes, he stops. The plastic box makes him grow curious, and he slowly begins to explore its wonders. His eye meets the view finder for the first time, and gently his hand runs over the shutter button. Slowly, he presses the button, and enjoys the click that comes from the box as he releases the button. It's love at first click._

_After about a year, the boy still holds onto the plastic camera, taking it everywhere he goes. He takes "photos" of everything he sees. The world that he knows that is only one block long. The school where he is mocked by the children for pretending to take photos of them. The home that has become even more lonesome after his mother passed, and his father left, leaving him in the care of his grandfather. The only companion he truly knows is his little plastic camera, and in his mind that is all that he truly needed._

_The boy's grandfather notices this infatuation, and soon decides to take action. One day, he approaches his grandson, and snatches the box away from him. The boy looks up at him with wide eyes, prepared to kick and scream the way most children his age do when they have something taken away from them. But before the boy can do anything, the older man is kneeling in front of him, and handing him a box. Tentatively, the boy opens the box, and gasps in surprise. In his hands, he is grasping his very own **working** camera. His words jumble between is it really mine, and scattered thank yous, along with a plethora of hugs. The man simply smiles upon seeing his grandson so happy. He leads the boy outside to the porch, so he can take his first picture._

_The photo is blurry, and at the top right corner you can see the boy's finger. However, his grandfather places a kiss atop the boy's spiky hair, and tells him it looks beautiful. It is the first of many photos, and also the first of many cameras. Even as the years go by though, he spends his money to keep his first camera working, and uses it to take one last photo of his grandfather before he meets with God._

This is the story of both Marius and Cosette: The pursuit of their dreams, the story of their passion, and their lives within the big city. Both of them come in with expectations, but neither of them expect what will come out.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Oh God," Cosette mutters, placing her hands over her face. She has watched this video a million times over the years of her life, yet she still manages to cringe each time she plays it. Upon the TV screen, there is a little girl in her living room, dressed in a young ballerina's finest, and dancing a horrid display that at the time she believed was her magnum opus. Of course the little girl was Cosette, though she would very much wish to deny that fact that it was.

Cosette lowers her hands when the video cuts to her first recital. Embarrassing? Absolutely. Yet, this clip is less cringe-worthy to her. In fact, it is one of brightest moments of her rather grim childhood. She does cringe at the little mistakes she makes along with the rest of the bumbling little girls. However, soon enough comes one of her fondest memories. Her first solo dance. She remembers how nervous she had been before the dance started, and nearly running off stage. Then, once it had begun, she remembers how she never wished for it to end.

And it never did. From that moment on, dancing became everything to Cosette. She would twirl everywhere she went. Before realizing how bad it was for the shoes, everywhere she walked was in her ballet slippers. In her childhood all her money was saved to see ballets that would come play in the theatres near her small hometown. Then as she got older, the rest was saved to fulfill the rest of her dream.

Her uncle, who had become her guardian when her mother had passed, was not too pleased to hear that the girl he held so close to his heart wished to move all the way to New York to persue a career in dancing. He did not want her to travel so far away from him that it would be near impossible for him to see her. Yet, he saw the look in her eyes. The look of passion and love that he had seen in his sister's eyes ages ago. He could not deny her, and allowed Cosette to follow her dreams into the big city.

Four years pass, and here Cosette is now. She has grown into a beautiful young woman, her dream still burning brightly inside her heart. Has it yet to be fulfilled? No. Not really. She goes on auditions as much as she can, but none so far have been successful. The only way she is able to keep living within the city is by picking up a variety of odd jobs, and by picking up a roommate. Grantaire. A roommate she is anxiously awaiting. The past few weeks Grantaire has rarely been in the apartment, and most of his time seems to be occupied by his boyfriend, Enjolras.

Enjolras and Grantaire had been dating long before Cosette came into the picture. They had met in college. Enjolras was a rebellious young man majoring in law, with a hope to one day get into politics to change the government. Grantaire, on the other hand, was a cynical drunk hoping to make his mark upon the world through art. They met at a rally that Enjolras had organized, and became infatuated with one another. Of course Enjolras would not let on to his emotions, and continuously showed distain for the other man. However, as they say, opposites attract, and these opposites found themselves **immensely** attracted to one another. Cosette had only come into their lives as soon as their relationship had gotten serious.

Which is why Cosette anxiously awaits the return of her roommate. It isn't that she does not love the two them. She truly does wish to see the pair happy. However, if Grantaire leaves, she will have to find another roommate, and if she cannot find another roommate she will be forced to return home. _No_, she thinks to herself, _going back is not an option. Especially not now. _The door opens slowly, pulling Cosette out of her thoughts. A familiar head of raven black hair pops through the door, giving a slight smirk as he sees his roommate. He walks into the room, and greets her, "Morning my beautiful friend."

Cosette pauses the video, and walks over to him. Along with being roommates, the two were very close friends. A rather unlikely duo, but in the end a great pair of friends. She smiles at him, "Morning my lately nonexistent friend. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

Grantaire chuckles, placing a carton holding two coffees and a bag on the table. Cosette's eyes widen, as she looks in the bag. Yes, there it is, a chocolate chip muffin from the coffee shop around the corner that she loves. She looks up at him, "Alright: What's the bad news?"

"I can't simply get something for my best friend in the world?"

"No cause last time you did this it was to tell me you couldn't pay your half of the rent last month."

He sighs. Cosette knew him way too well by now to be swayed by a muffin. He sits down at the table. Trying to stall from breaking his news, he takes his coffee from the holder, and blows on the top to cool it. He looks back up to Cosette, who does not look very amused by his little games. Finally, he blurts it out, "It happened."

"What?"

"Enjolras asked me to move in with him." Cosette sits down, taking in the news. Grantaire sees the look on her face, and places a hand on top of hers. "It will take me about a month to move my stuff over. You know how much crap I have. I'll pay my share for this month's rent since our lease together will be over soon anyway… That should be plenty of time to-"

Cosette sighs, "I-I just don't know what to say… I mean I'm happy for you two… But…" She doesn't finish her sentence, realizing how selfish she is being. She knows how long Grantaire has been waiting for Enjolras to ask him to move in. If Enjolras had waited another minute, Cosette knew that Grantaire would have simply brought all of his stuff over himself. Still, she could not help but feel abandoned.

Grantaire pulls her for a hug, knowing the thoughts that are probably going through her head. He whispers to her, "I'll help you find a roommate. I'll do anything. I know you don't want to go back home. I know how much this place means to you. I am going to help you stay here. I promise. Enj will help too. He loves you almost as much as I do. I am going to make this up to you. I promise."

She nods slowly, still remaining silent. This prompts Grantaire to continue talking. "I love him Cosette. I love him so fucking much. I didn't how much I could love someone until I met him. I feel bad about leaving you dry Cosette. I really do. But people have given up on me way too much. He is the only one who hasn't. And I won't give up on him."

Cosette pulls back. Love. She doesn't fully grasp the concept. Certainly, she loved her mother, and her uncle. She dates every once in a while. Yet, she has never had the type of love that Enjolras and Grantaire have for one another. The type of love that you would work hard to keep. True love. It's as foreign to Cosette as someone who speaks a different language. She stands up, not wanting to think about this anymore. She goes to grab her dance bag, "I have to go… I have an audition downtown in an hour."

"I'm going to make it up to you. I promise."

She doesn't answer. She slips out the door, and closes it tightly.


	3. Chapter 2

The cold air hits Cosette as she slumps out the building. She sighs as she walks away from yet another audition. Since moving to New York, she has been to more auditions than one would be able to count on the fingers and toes of all of their distant relatives. Very rarely, she would land a job. Nothing of grand importance. A small theatre production in Hoboken, or a class teaching snotty rich girls who cared more about their tu-tus than actual dancing. These things do not irk her one bit though. She is spending this time doing what she loves. However, in the city that was built upon dreams, she is hoping that her dreams would come true. Her one dream, of course, is to be a dancer on Broadway.

This dream, of course, is very hard to obtain. Not being an Equity Member, Cosette struggles even more with getting an audition than getting a job. Her days are typically spent in the city, praying that there will be a spot open for her to take, and occasionally hoping that the audition that she does not mess up her one chance. She goes in optimistic, believing that she can truly do it. She auditions, the casting directors either giving encouraging smiles or ice cold glares. She thanks them for their time, then exits, with the realist thoughts that they are most likely looking for someone taller with darker hair than she.

Today is another uneventful day for her. She waits in cramped room with the group of girls with the same thoughts as she. She twiddles her thumbs, until she hears the disappointing words of the casting director that she is now very used to hearing, "I apologize, but there will be no spots available for today's audition." Disheartened, yet still filled with hope, Cosette leaves the building. She heads towards her second home in the city: Central Park.

When she finds the time, Cosette likes to pass through the park, viewing all of the interesting characters that roam its grounds. The tourists trading maps, hoping to find ever spot of this alternate universe before their time there ends. The homeless man, who still possesses a kind heart, and feeds the pigeons from the home he has made on the bench. The children, dragging their parents through the park, desperately hoping to find their friends there to play. However, this is not the only reason she enjoys the lively tourist attraction. In her time here, she has managed to find herself a tiny oasis. In a part of the park no one particularly goes to, the dancer has found a pathway sturdy enough to claim as impromptu dance floor.

She has not been here in a while, perhaps two weeks. Life has been dragging her in a thousand different directions. She takes the scenery surrounding her in. The trees covering her, and slight mummers of the city streets behind her. She makes no haste in her intentions, for she has to go across the city in order to make it to a private lesson she needs to make. She sets herself into position, and prepares for her escape.

She closes her eyes, imagining that it is a stage she is dancing upon, instead of old concrete. Her feet move as gracefully as they can, maneuvering their way through the cracks. Her moves are precise, and elegant. They are much different than the fumbling moments she had once had as a toddler. She feels a drumming in her heart, rattling her with the passion that always develops when she dances. The only noise that touches her ears is the imaginary orchestra that she has conjured in her mind. She can forget about not being able to audition today, or the fact that she had not been to an audition in two months. She can forget about Grantaire moving in with Enjolras, and the possibility that she might have to return to a home she is not welcome to. She does not have to think of anything. She is alone. She is free.

_Click!_ The sound nearly makes Cosette stumble to the ground. She is snapped back into reality, determined to find out where that noise had come from. She appears to be alone, but that sound was too loud to have been drifted to her from a distance. "It's all in your mind Cosette," she thinks to herself, believing she has indeed gone mad. Slowly, she starts back into her routine, almost returning to her internal paradise.

_Click!_ This time she knows she has heard something, and seen a flash of light. It appears to have come from behind one of the large trees surrounding her. Mustering all the courage she has within her, she approaches the tree. Once her head has turned, she is blinded by another flash of light, causing her to jump back. The person in possession of the bright flash jumps back as well, obviously not expecting her to come his way. As her heart rate returns to a normal speed, and her eyes regain their sight, she is set upon cursing the creep in front of her to oblivion.

Yet, she is stopped. Cosette's eyes do not fixate upon a stereotypical Peeping Tom. Instead, they become glued to a young man, perhaps two years older than she. His skin fair, and his hair dark. A pair of piercing eyes connect with hers, a hint of fear sparking in them. He parts his lips to speak. His tone is low yet calming, but still clearly afraid of her reaction. He manages to stutter out, "M-my apologies miss… I did not mean to disturb you… I-I was just passing by, and I saw you come in here… I watched you for some time, and the sight… Why it was just too beautiful to not take photos off…" He breaks the eye contact that they have to begin a staring contest with his feet, his cheeks coloring more from embarrassment than the winter air. "That sounded even worse than it did in my head… Once again, I am so terribly sorry."

Cosette can't help but find the actions of this man more adorable than threatening, so she allows her lips to spread into a smile. She responds, "Don't worry about it… It is after all a public park."

The man looks back up, his mouth turning to a goofy grin. His emerald eyes have lost their fear, and were now sporting a look of gratefulness that she had not called for the cops. His mind begins to cloud a bit. Before, his mind was racing about how much trouble he could get into, but now all he is able to think about is how this girl's eyes twinkle with the sunlight reflecting off of them, and how the bitter cold turning her cheeks crimson only manages to make her look more beautiful. His train of thought gets so lost that he almost does not hear Cosette speak again.

"Umm… Sir?"

"Hmm?" He snaps back into reality, "I apologize. You were saying something?"

"I said you were taking pictures."

The tint of red returns to his cheeks as he slowly nods.

She asks, "Might I be able to see them? Considering they are of me."

"Of course!" He says a little too loudly. He truly is out of practice from talking to girls. The man hands her the camera to allow her to flip through the photos.

She moves through the pictures at a moderate pace, admiring the work that this man had done. She hands him his camera, chuckling slightly, "For a Peeping Tom, you certainly know how to use a camera."

"I am not a Peeping Tom," he argues timidly, "I am a photographer."

She smiles, "It shows. You truly have a gift."

His grin turns into a radiant smile, warm enough to heat the whole city, "Thank you. And I take it you are a dancer."

"Struggling dancer," Cosette retorts.

"Have I seen you in anything… you know, besides Central Park?"

"Did I mention that I am a **struggling** dancer."

He chuckles, "You did. I just expected a beautiful girl with such talent to have already graced all the stages this town has to offer."

Cosette's cheeks become rosier as the man quickly tries to collect himself, "I-I mean… umm… I figured you would already be a success-"

"Don't worry about it," she responds, happy to take the compliment.

"I don't believe I had the honor to learn your name Miss."

She shakes her head, "Nor I to learn yours. I'm-" Just then, she feels her phone buzz in her pocket. She has almost forgotten about her lesson. "I am sorry… I actually have to go."

The man nods, "It's quite alright. I should be making my way out as well."

Cosette nods back at him, then smiles, "Maybe we will see each other here again soon?"

"Perhaps we shall." He agrees. Cosette waves his way before quickly heading out into the busy park, hurrying towards her next destination.

As if on cue, the man's phone goes off. He answers almost immediately, "Hello?"

"Marius! My good friend," the drunken man on the other line greets, "It's R. Come home as soon as you can. I have a favor to ask you.


	4. Chapter 3

After several more drunken slurs being uttered into his ear through the phone, Marius hangs up. He starts for home without realizing it. He did not pay much attention to the conversation, and the only thing he can remember is that it was Grantaire speaking. The only thing on his mind is that girl. Who was she? Would he ever see her again? If he saw her again what would he say? His mind is reeling. He can only see her bright smile, and warm eyes. He can only feel the softness of her fingers as they brushed against his hand to return his camera. He can only hear the melodic sound of her voice as all the words fell from her lips. In the state that he is in, it is a surprise that he does not get hit by an oncoming bus.

Similarly to Cosette, Marius has not struck any acclaim in the big city either. He came into a month after his grandfather's passing. Having gathered some inheritance, he was able to put himself through college as a photography major, and afford to pay rent on his own. Unfortunately, living in New York is expensive, and Marius soon found his money dwindling. On the verge of eviction, he came across Enjolras. He recognized him from school, but the two had never really spoken due to having different majors. After ranting for a solid half hour about how the government was at fault for his lack of money, and trying to persuade Marius to join his cause, the young man had offered Marius a place to stay, free of charge until he could find a job. The two have been living together ever since.

Since then, Marius has been able to get a job at a local photography business, which sounds as though it would be a perfect match for the shutterbug. However, it seems as though most of his job pertains to assisting the other photographers, and child wrangling the crying two year olds who are forced to get their photos taken. Though the job pays well, he knows that his dream is not to take photos of other people's lives. His dream is to snapshot his own. His photographs center around places he's seen, and interesting things he has noticed. He wants to share his eyes with the world surrounding him. He wishes to go out, and live, and bring everyone who sees his pictures along for the ride. The eyes are the entrance way to the soul in his mind, so what better way to share that then through pictures?

He finally makes his way home, successfully avoiding traffic while lost in his thoughts. Once inside, he feels arms clasp around his shoulder, and the familiar scent of alcohol and coffee mixed together. He turns around to see Grantaire, who unsurprisingly, is drunk at two in the afternoon. Grantaire loosens his grip slightly, and slurs out, "Hello my good friend." He does not waste any time getting down to business, "Boy, do I have the proposition for you."

"Oh no," Marius groans. Last time he heard these words from the drunkard's mouth, he ended up in the ER with his wallet stolen, and a broken nose. "If it's another invitation to go to some bar on the Lower East Side, you can count me out."

"Come on, that was one time." Marius's face still reads that he is no way interested in one of his dangerous escapades. "Anyway, that's not what this is about. It's something else."

"Alright, what is it?"

"Well, I've told you about my roommate, Cosette, right?"

Marius nods. Grantaire has mentioned his roommate on several occasions, but all Marius really knows about the girl is that Grantaire is her roommate. He has never met her, and it's hard to talk about someone when the only two people with knowledge of them are too focused on each other.

"Well, I kind of have to make up for the fact that I am kind of leaving her dry."

"And this has to do with me, how?" He understands that the situation is probably difficult on her, but he does not understand how the girl's plight affects him. He feels bad, of course, but he has to worry about what he is going to do with himself after Grantaire moves in. The apartment isn't big enough to house three. Maybe he is asking Marius to move in with her? He wouldn't be opposed to the idea, but it would be fairly awkward to move in with someone he does not even know.

"Well, I want to try and take her mind off the fact that she might have to leave… So I was wondering if you could possibly take her out on a date? Show her a good time, and take her mind off everything?"

Marius doesn't answer for a while. Under normal circumstances, Marius would be more than willing to take the girl out. Of course, each time he had been set up with someone before it typically ended with an awkward handshake between the two. But now, he feels as though he cannot. His mind is still plagued with the sight of the girl he met in the park. Even without knowing her name, he already feels a deep connection to her. A connection that he does not wish to give up. He shrugs slightly, "I-I don't know… Are you sure you want me to do it?"

"Who else?" Grantaire chuckles, "You are the only one of us who is single."

Enjolras walks into the room from the bathroom as Grantaire says this. The blonde admonishes his boyfriend, "R, be nice." He sits down next to Grantaire, and turns his attention towards his roommate, "It would just be one night Marius. Besides, I think you will really like her. She's very nice, and you two actually have a lot in common."

"And she's super hot," Grantaire adds, earning him a smack on the arm from Enjolras, "Hey, I chose you, didn't I?"

Enjolras rolls his eyes, "What do you say Marius?"

_Well, it would only be one night._ Marius thought to himself. If he and Cosette had a bad time, that would be the end of it, and he could continue his search for the girl in the park. What could be the harm in that? Marius looks between the both of them, and sighs.

"Set it up."


End file.
